Reflection
by SubspaceWarrior
Summary: The final battle is almost amongst them, and so, Cross decided to head back to where her journey had begun. And who else would she bring along than Elma? And the two reflect on their adventures together. (WARNING: This story contains post-Chapter 11 spoilers; don't read this until you've beaten that Chapter) (Chronologically, this is the last pre-Chapter 12 story in my series)


**Reflection** :

So much has happened since Earth was destroyed by two warring alien factions, one of which may have been what later sent us crashing on Mira and then gave up, while the other is bent on pursuing us, no matter what. Many people here in NLA were affected by the loss of Earth, some were going as so far as to commit treason, especially when we recieve new allies on the way here. Ma-non, Nopon, and many more. These people just can't seem to apprehend the fact that what they're doing is digging humanity in a graver situation than we already are in.

Every human in NLA was affected by the destruction of Earth. ...Well, except for me. The only thing about Earth's destruction that affected me... was that I, personally, can't even remember my life on Earth. My name is Cross, a member of BLADE, who had recently mastered the arts of the Sniper Rifle and the Javelin, but will wait for a while before I pursue the arts of the Raygun and the Knife once more.

Anyways, people in NLA have considered myself a source of major curiosity. Of course, I can't exactly blame them. And it's not just my amnesia that is a source of curiosity. But so is my appearance. Blue skin, for starters, as well as yellow eyes, dark blue lips, yellow hair with green parts, and a mysterious "02" tattoo below my right eye. I also happen to have a British accent, which makes my team leader, Elma, believe that I'm of European descent.

For a while, I became known as "The Blue Reclaimer" along the way. Reasons include my obvious aforementioned blue skin, as well as the fact that the Division I chose is the Reclaimers. And that's for... personal reasons. Elma, who also happens to be a Reclaimer, is the only one who knows my reasons.

It's not just me and Elma that forms this team. We also have Lin Lee Koo, a 13-year old girl who is an excellent mechanic and an even better chef. She is associated with the Outfitters, and had also invented the Skell Flight Module with help from Doug, and later, me. Somewhere along our journey, I've come to see Lin as a surrogate little sister. And, coincidentially, Lin sees me as a surrogate big sister. She's also usually accompanied by a Nopon named Tatsu, whom we had accidentally rescued from the Ganglion early on in our adventure.

For a while, I was considered Team Elma's most recent recruit. After a while, that eventually changed. There was this BLADE fallout named Mia, who looked up to me just because I helped her on an adventure, to the point where she calls me "Chief". After I rescued her from the Ganglion a few encounters later, she was finally approved to join BLADE. Didn't take too long for her to join Team Elma.

Anyways, this is where my story begins. Elma was coming home from a solo mission. "Whew. I'm home. At BLADE Barracks." Elma sighed.

"Hi, Elma!" Lin greeted her.

"Hello, Lin. I wonder where Cross could be?" Elma asked, wondering where I was.

"Well... she told me she went to some place in Southwestern Primordia. I believe I heard her muttering about it being where her journey had begun." Lin replied.

"A place in southwestern Primordia... Being where her journey had... Could it be... Starfall Basin?" Elma asked in genuine concern.

"Yes. Why do you sound so concerned?" Lin asked.

After a moment of silence... "I'll be right back, Lin. Let me know when the report of the Lifehold Core's discovery comes in." Elma ordered.

"Uh... Okay." Lin complied. Almost immediately, Elma rushed out of the Barracks. "What... could that be about?" Lin wondered.

"Tatsu not know." Tatsu replied while shrugging.

"Hmm... If the report does come in, I'll inform Mia as well." Lin said, to which Tatsu replied by nodding.

A few minutes later, Elma was flying in her red Skell, which I had named "Red Leader". I always associate Elma with the color red, which I believe serves as a contrast to me being associated with blue. As well, it's also to show my appreciation towards Elma as a team leader, but also as a true friend.

"Why did Cross have to go to Starfall Basin? According to scouts, Ganglion troops roam there now. And I fear they're too powerful for Cross to face alone. One of them happens to be a Tyrant." Elma thought as she worries about my safety. "Cross! ...Cross! ...Cross, where in Primordia are you?!" she yelled.

Shortly after she had asked, she saw a large explosion at the very area she was hoping I wouldn't reach. "Oh, no... I hope that isn't the end of her. I mean, there's no way she could take them down by herself..." Elma shivered. And, thus, she flew to Starfall Basin immediately.

In Starfall Basin, the only Skell that was standing... was a pure blue Skell. And its pilot... was me. "Why did the Ganglion have to send troopers here? Right where my journey had begun?" I sighed in discontent. Even the leader of this squad, a Tyrant known as Daril's Qmoeva, had fallen in no time flat. I sighed as I ejected from my Skell. "Welp, better let Elma know to come here and-" I said before I saw a red Skell flying towards my area. "Well, speak of the devil." I said with a smirk.

"Cross! Are you alright?! What are you doing here?!" Elma asked in concern. Then, as Elma looked to her right, she noticed the wrecked Ganglion machines. "Hmm? Did you...?" she asked in confusion.

"Yep. Those troops thought they're free to claim my journey's origins as their own turf. And I proved them wrong." I replied.

"You took them ALL out by yourself?" Elma asked.

"Mm-hmm. Gravity and beam weaponry. Especially my G2 Buster." I replied.

"Then... what was that explosion?" Elma asked.

"Must've been the Qmoevas combusting together after getting hit by one Gravity Shield." I replied.

"Even the Tyrant known as Daril's Qmoeva fell apart?" Elma asked.

"Yes. Anyways, you're probably wondering why I'm here." I stated.

"Well... as a matter of fact..." Elma was about to say something.

"Well, Elma. What we can recall... was that this is where my journey had begun." I replied.

"So wait, you're... reflecting on our adventure?" Elma asked.

"Yep. I want to reflect on our adventure in case we... fail to recover the Lifehold Core." I replied glumly.

"I see." Elma said.

"And who else to reflect upon my adventures alongside with... than you?" I asked.

"Than me? Wait, you've never even considered bringing Lin along? Isn't she like... a surrogate sister to you?" Elma asked.

"Well, it's true. Lin and I are very close. But you've understood me more than anyone else. In fact, you're the only one who knows my reason for joining the Reclaimers." I replied.

"Which is... to recover your memories. Rediscover your past." Elma said.

"Correct. No one other than you knows about that. Even Eleonora doesn't know about this." I chuckled at the last part.

"Yes. Even I find Eleonora to be a mystery. And she knows a lot." Elma smiled.

"Anyways, here was where you found me. Inside this LifePod." I said as I pointed at the LifePod.

"Amazingly, it's still intact, even after all this time." Elma smiled.

"Yep. I've wondered why back then, and even now, I still haven't remember anything about who I was prior to me being found here by you." I pondered.

"Indeed. But you did build some new memories here on Mira, both good and bad." Elma said.

"Yep. I've met many friends along the way. You, Lin, Irina, Gwin, Doug, Lao, L, Phog, Frye, Hope, Murderess, Secretary Nagi, Celica, Mia, HB, Bozé, Alexa, and Yelv." I said.

"True. But for every friend, there's always enemies." Elma said.

"True. I may be an all-loving girl, but even I have enemies. People such as Alex, Powell, the Celeste Three, Ornella, Fraisie, Gus, Gadd... There were some people who almost slipped out of line, but saw the error of their ways before it was too late. Homer, Mika, and Roselle, for example." I replied.

"True. Roselle was taking advantage of the Zaruboggan's diet. But once we stopped her, she offered to try more honest ways of making money. And that even if you turned the bribe down, she'll turn herself in." Elma said.

"Yep. Because she was genuinely honest, I decided to give her just one chance. And even now, she's taking it well." I stated.

"And Homer? He stole voltant from the Zaruboggan in an attempted terrorism against NLA. But you were able to convince him the error of his ways before he dumped one piece of voltant in the Biahno Water Plant." Elma stated.

"Mm-hmm. I had to be extremely careful with how I responded. One wrong move could've meant the end of us... or at least, it would if a Zaruboggan never showed up." I shivered.

"But you chose the right actions all the way." Elma said.

"And then there's Mika. She loves her boyfriend, Camber. When Alexa came into the picture, Mika thought Alexa was trying to steal Camber away from her, to the point where she sabotaged Alexa's weapon tests. Out of pure jealousy." I said.

"She thought her reasons were justifiable, and that any of Alexa's reasons would pretty much fuel more hatred. And apparently, much to Alexa's genuine confusion." Elma shrugged.

"But when I informed Alexa what Mika is trying to say, Alexa proceeded to scold Mika for coming up with such dumb reasons. When Mika scolded Alexa back for saying that her reasons are dumb, Alexa pointed out that she was never interested in Camber. Just his Skell." I explained.

"Mika was just dumbfounded, claiming that what she just heard was not at all what she expected to hear. And you proceeded to scold Mika, claiming that the whole thing was her fault, and her fault only." Elma said.

"Right. When she realised that her "justifiable" reasons were, in fact, completely wrong, she regrets her behavior and attitude, and towards someone who's only interests are towards Skells. And they reconciled from there." I said.

"Mm-hmm. So, let's go back to reflecting on our adventure." Elma insisted.

"Ah, yes. Of course. So, anyways. We originally saw that xenoforms were hostile. Cavern Clan Prone, Marnucks, Milsaadi, Definians. But as our adventure went by, we also encountered friendly xenoforms. Nopon, Ma-non, Orpheans, Tree Clan Prone, Zaruboggans, Wrothians... Even a few Cavern Clan Prone and a few Definians who were willing to defect from the Ganglion altogether. And then there's Celica, a Qlurian girl, as well as her gargantuan friend, a Gaur named Rock. And then there's two xenoforms who are... very unusual. L, whose species is, even now, unidentified, and there's Professor B, whose species name is... very hard to pronounce." I said.

"Yes. Director General Chausson believed that the more allies we have, the better our chances of success." Elma said.

"True. A shame that not all people view his mindset. Alex and Powell are easily the worst of the lot." I stated.

"Yes. Alex, an ex-Interceptor who..." Elma said before thinking about what to say.

"...Who kidnapped me at one point." I said solemnly. Elma had a look of shock on her face.

"You're... okay about mentioning that?" Elma asked with such a look of shock.

"Yes. As long as I'm the one mentioning it, of course." I nodded.

"But I must hand it to you, Cross. I still admire the fact that you remained calm during your time in captivity." Elma smiled.

"Yes. I had quite the showcase of tranquil fury towards Alex. What he did to me was despicable. Though I wish I could've seen the look on his face when I told him his attempt to ruin my dignity has failed." I giggled.

"And then there was Powell. I heard about the deaths of innocent Ma-non, and was startled when I heard that one landed right next to you, to the point where..." Elma said before letting me finish the sentence.

"If her body had landed straight onto me, there may have been a chance I would've been considered a suspect. Because the Ma-non Mediator, Ackwar, acknowledged my honest innocence, he suggested that me, Celica, Frye, and HB work together to solve the case." I said.

"The Reclaimer known as Gerome was a suspect, but when he died shortly after you freed him from the bomb, you had to search for new suspects." Elma said.

"Yeah. I actually still turn a bit pale... pale blue just thinking about Gerome's sudden death. According to Ackwar, the autopsy had revealed that the true cause of Gerome's death... was that he was poisoned." I shuddered.

"True. That eventually led to your confrontation with Powell. Amazing as to how Ackwar played dead while waiting for you." Elma smiled.

"Yeah. Powell did prove to be a tough one. In fact, I believed his Skell was actually tougher than Alex's. Though... my attempt to crush his Skell while injuring him... ended up killing him instead. Although Powell became a complete monster in the end, I still regret killing him." I frowned.

"I see. Yes, you did state that you have morals against killing people on our side, human or xenoform." Elma comforted.

"Back to our adventures, now. The most traumatizing moment I encountered, myself..." I said before looking at my left arm, with a sad look on my face.

"...was when you lost your left arm while trying to defend Tatsu from a last breath bullet from one of the Ganglion Skells, which I destroyed during then." Elma said.

"I actually thought I was going to die, then. And when I noted that my appearance was robotic on the inside, I felt that I was just nothing more than a robot, and that I had no past after all. And that my purpose for joining the Reclaimers was... futile." I frowned.

"When I saw your tears, Cross, that's when I realized... You didn't remember anything about your body being a Mimeosome... at all." Elma placed her hand on my shoulder.

"No. I was somewhat relieved when I learned that it's not just me, but all humans in NLA are Mimeosomes. And that all of them clearly had pasts before becoming Mimeosomes. And that gave me renewed hope." I said while slightly smiling.

"Indeed. My explanation made things clear. Even today, I still regret not telling you about Mimeosomes until after that accident. I thought you would've known, but I should've known better, myself." Elma frowned.

"It's okay, Elma. We wouldn't have made it this far with our natural bodies. Besides, I wouldn't have blue skin on my natural body... as far as I could guess." I said.

"Mm-hmm. And remember, Cross. Even if the Lifehold Core doesn't contain your memories, there may still be some source out here. But, if they're lost forever, I'll be here for you to help build new memories." Elma slightly smiled.

"Heh." I chuckled.

"What is it?" Elma asked in confusion.

"Lin said something similar that day we shared our surrogate sisterly relationship." I smiled.

"That first day off we had while I suffered a cold?" Elma asked.

"Yes. That first day after I discovered your cold. I must say, Mimeosomes sure do have strong immune systems if colds are extremely rare." I smiled.

"Indeed. By the way, Cross? I have a question." Elma asked me.

"Oh? I'm listening, my team leader." I replied.

"Back at Cauldros, when Lao betrayed us... Why did you side with Lin?" Elma asked.

"I suppose I thought I was the only one who thought Lao needed some tough love to realize the error of his ways. Yes, what Lao did was unforgivable and inexcusable, but I thought it would be possible for Lao to redeem himself. When Lin chose to defend him for that same reason, plus the fact that shooting him may actually make the situation worse... That was why I decided to side with Lin." I explained.

"I see. I'm not entirely convinced that Lao can redeem himself, but I understand your and Lin's reasons, Cross." Elma nodded.

"I suppose reclaiming the Lifehold Core would also be the first day of Lao's redemption. Handing the data terminal back to us and accepting the error of his ways gracefully was just the first step back in the right direction for him." I smiled.

"Only time will tell if the folks in NLA would accept his redemption." Elma crossed her arms.

"True. But yes, the time to recover the Lifehold Core is almost here." I nodded. Then, Elma proceeded to look up at the sky while sighing. "Is there something you dream of reclaiming for yourself, similar to my dream of regaining my memories?" I asked.

"Yes, actually. As we mentioned the day we rescued the cat named Aisha, I dream of regaining my original body." Elma smiled.

"I suppose we both have a desire to recover something very important. Though... if what you originally look like doesn't reflect your mim's appearance... then what do you look like?" I asked.

"Why ruin the surprise? It'll be here before too long. Besides, no matter what happens, I want you to always accept me for who I am." Elma smiled.

"Hey, now, Elma, it doesn't matter if you're a human or a xenoform, you will always be Elma. And you will always be my team leader. ...And my first friend." I smiled.

"Thanks, Cross. Well, now, we should head back." Elma said as she turned around.

"Right. We've come so far in our adventure. We took down three Ganglion commanders: Goetia, Ryyz, and Dagahn." I said as I did the same thing.

"All that's left is Luxaar, whom according to the Wrothian prince Ga Jiarg, is the leader of the Ganglion. And once we recover the Lifehold Core, we'll put a stop to him." Elma smiled with determination.

Suddenly, Elma's comm device started beeping and vibrating, so she grabbed it and answered. "Hello?" Elma asked.

"Hey! Elma! I cooked a grand meal for us all because I heard that Director General Chausson has great news to announce tonight!" Lin eagerly said.

"Oh, good. Does Mia know about this, too?" Elma asked.

"Mm-hmm. She's on her way from the Ma-non Ship to BLADE Barracks as I speak." Lin smiled.

"That's very good to know." I replied.

"Also, from what I heard, Irina, Gwin, Doug, and L are coming, too." Lin replied.

"Heh. Dinner for eight people." I chuckled.

"Hey! Don't forget about Tatsu!" Tatsu yelled through the comm device.

"Oops! Sorry, Tatsu. I actually meant nine people." I chuckled nervously.

"Anyways, we were just heading back. Please wait for us." Elma smiled.

"Got it!" Lin replied.

Afterwards, Elma put her comm device away, and looked at me with a smile.

"Well, Cross, are you ready to head back to BLADE Barracks?" Elma asked with a determined smile.

"You know it! Your original body, my memories, we'll fight to recover them." I replied with an equally determined smile.

"Then let's go, Cross. Off to BLADE Barracks we go!" Elma yelled.

"Right!" I yelled in agreement.

Elma and I hopped in our respective Skells, while preparing for the Final Battle to come. No matter what happens, we WILL recover the Lifehold Core, and we WILL stop the Ganglion!

Until the Lifehold Core is recovered, my stories are over.


End file.
